


Pet Me

by Runadaemon



Series: Secret Life of Pets? [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien in denial, Gen, Jealous Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Jealous Lila, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, class pet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:35:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22029418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runadaemon/pseuds/Runadaemon
Summary: Adrien will attest it’s all Lila’s fault. Marinette will attest that Lila finally expressed some valid feelings. Everyone else is just confused.Alternatively, Adrien is incredibly jealous and blames Lila for it all. Lila just wants him to shut up and sit down.
Series: Secret Life of Pets? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1587589
Comments: 53
Kudos: 526





	Pet Me

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted a Jealous Adrien fic. Yay? 
> 
> If there's any tags you think should be added, please comment and let me know.

Adrien will attest (loudly and unprovoked) that the entire problem started with Lila. Anyone nearby will groan and bang their heads as he starts his diatribe once again. Marinette and Alya will ignore him as soon as he starts complaining about Lila, both fully aware he doesn’t have a leg to stand on, though for different reasons.

The fact of the matter is, while Lila did start the ball rolling, Marinette gladly picked up the ball and gleefully sprinted to the end goal with it. Lila made some tearful complaints. Marinette made the whole school comply with her request. Alya covered it all on the school blog, incredibly impressed with both girls. Everyone else just watched.

It all started like this:

Lila came in one morning looking sad and pitiful. Alya, the ever-concerned friend that she was, was quick to question her. “What’s wrong, Lila?” Adrien was already prepared to hear that someone had snubbed the connected girl, or even that Marinette had said something rude again. What he was not prepared to hear was-

“I miss Mr. Whiskers.” Lila looked down tearfully. Adrien watched as Alya paused for a moment, unsure if this was something she could do anything about. Before Alya could ask further though, Marinette had entered the classroom, and Lila continued her lament. “I miss his soft fur and his cuddly body, and the cute little meows he made whenever someone picked him up.” Lila’s lips were visibly wobbling, and Marinette was standing right behind her with wide eyes.

Alya cleared her throat, preparing to ask more. Surprising Adrien and everyone else, it was Marinette that asked the next question. “Was he your pet, Lila?” Lila visibly jumped at Marinette’s voice coming from right behind her, and as she jumped, a tear leaked down her cheek. Lila spun to face Marinette, and Adrien noted with alarm the moment Marinette saw the lone tear.

“Marinette! I,” Lila’s mouthed moved, but nothing came out for a moment before she hastily wiped away her tear and straightened up. “Yes. Mr. Whiskers was my kitty. He died over the weekend.” Lila stared defiantly at Marinette, as though daring her to call her a liar about this. To everyone’s surprise, Marinette reached forward and placed her hands on Lila’s shoulders supportively. Adrien felt mildly uncomfortable, and wished Marinette would let go of her.

“I am so incredibly sorry to hear that, Lila. What can we do for you?” Lila was visibly taken aback at Marinette’s kindness, having never actually received such consideration from her before. The rest of the class however, crowded around in support, obviously happy to see Marinette finally warming up to their newest member. Adrien watched cautiously from the edge of the crowd. Alya jumped up to hug Lila around the waist, chiming in.

“Yeah, Lila. Just tell us what you need, and we’ll see what we can do!” The rest of the class also clamored to show their support, while Adrien quietly watched. For some reason, seeing Marinette touching Lila, and speaking to her so sweetly and comfortingly made him itchy. He didn’t know why, but he felt very uncomfortable.

“I, I don’t know that there’s anything anyone can do. We buried him over the weekend, and my parents insisted that we couldn’t get another pet while we’re here.” Lila’s eyes overflowed with tears once more, and Adrien thought this might actually be the first time she was genuinely crying. Lila wasn’t covering her face, letting the tears fall freely as she talked to Marinette and Alya.

“Why not?” Alya questioned. Adrien watched Marinette lean closer to Lila, and he felt alarmed that she might actually HUG Lila! Instead, Marinette wrapped one arm supportively around Lila’s shoulders, fencing her in between herself and Alya as Lila voiced her reply.

“They said if we move again, it wouldn’t be fair to the pet if we went somewhere they couldn’t survive, and it would be worse if we pawned them off on someone here later. That it would be better to wait until I was an adult, since it’s only a few more years, and when I have a place of my own, I can get whatever I want.” Lila’s face crumpled and she blindly buried her face into Marinette’s shoulder, to everyone’s visible surprise.

As Lila sank into sobs, Marinette gently cradled her closer, stroking her hair and humming soothingly. Adrien felt himself bristling, but besides the obvious concern that Lila could be plotting something, he couldn’t have told anyone why. Adrien couldn’t take his eyes off the scene, feeling like the universe had to have twisted somehow to have Marinette cuddling her worst enemy close like they were… like they were lovers or something!

What Adrien purposely ignored was Marinette’s natural sympathy and comforting qualities coming to the fore once more. Marinette would obviously push aside her own feelings if someone needed her help, and today Lila clearly needed help. Alya watched proudly as Marinette seemed to finally be giving Lila a chance, but Adrien couldn’t help wanting to rip them away from each other.

“I just want to hold him again.” Lila sniffled. “He’s been my best friend since I was a little girl.” Adrien could hardly hear, so he discreetly crowded closer to the cluster of his classmates. “I’ve told him stories for years, and he’s always been my only true companion. I can’t believe he’s gone.” The entire class ignored the school bell announcing class time, Chloe noticeably sitting silently at her desk, but not even scoffing. Ms. Bustier was watching quietly from the front, willing to let the students work themselves out.

“Ohhhh, poor dear.” Marinette soothed. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m sure he loved you very much.” Adrien was charmed by the sweet nothings Marinette whispered, only wishing it was to anyone besides Lila. Like maybe himself. He would very much like Marinette to hold him close and whisper in his ear. Because she was a great friend, and as her friend, he deserved that treatment. Not the girl that kept taking the class off track with her stories and stealing everyone’s attention. Stealing Marinette’s attention.

Lila let out another little sob while Alya rubbed her back and Marinette petted her hair- Adrien wanted his hair to be pet. Why didn’t Marinette ever pet his hair? He had tragic things happen all the time. He was now firmly convinced. Next time his father was mean, he was going to Marinette. He needed those pets! Lila finally leaned away from Marinette, and Adrien felt himself relax a bit. He absently noticed his shoulders going down incrementally the further Lila moved away.

Lila wiped at her eyes with a bare hand until Marinette pulled out a cute pink handkerchief and wiped her tears away for her. Lila smiled at Marinette shyly while Marinette smiled kindly back. “Thanks, Marinette. I just, I really can’t imagine going years without another little fur-baby to hold and love.” Marinette’s warm gaze turned thoughtful, as Lila let her go and stepped away. “Thanks everyone. Really, I’ll be okay. I’m really sorry I broke down crying. I’ve never lost a pet before, so I just wasn’t really,” Lila’s voice cracked. “Ready.”

The crowd broke out in sympathetic messages with many variations, but the basic gist was “We understand! Take your time!” Adrien also found himself murmuring something, but he didn’t know what he’d said. Ms. Bustier finally stepped forward, laying a warm hand on Lila’s shoulder in sympathy before calling the class’s attention to her. “Alright class, please take your seats. It’s time to start.”

As everyone sat down and Marinette was finally seated behind him where she belonged, Adrien was able to relax. Sure, Lila might have been telling the truth this time, but he felt like she’d gotten more sympathy than she needed. Especially from the soft-hearted Marinette. Adrien snuck a quick glance at Marinette to see her frantically looking things up on her tablet and scribbling notes into a notebook. A little disappointed she didn’t notice him and wave, he turned back to their lesson.

At least the issue was over. Lila would get some sympathy for a few days, but surely her time hogging Marinette’s attention was over. He was never more vexed to be wrong.

*****************************************************************

It turns out that once Lila had gotten a taste of Marinette’s genuine sympathy and kindness, she’d developed a craving for it. Adrien was appalled to see Marinette willingly setting aside what she was doing to talk with Lila quite frequently in the next week. Adrien even noticed Lila wasn’t holding court as she usually did, spending all of her time taking Marinette’s attention. On one absolutely mind-breaking occasion, he watched in disbelief as Marinette called out to Lila with a sweet smile, before ushering her away into the school building during lunch.

“What in the world.” Adrien muttered. Nino, watching the two girls disappear together with a smile, turned to Adrien in surprise. Adrien hadn’t realized he’d growled out in disbelief and irritation. Adrien met his eyes and jumped a little at the shock Nino displayed.

“Dude, you good? I’ve never heard you sound so… negative before.” Nino adjusted his cap as he stared thoughtfully at Adrien. Adrien had been a little distracted for the last week, and Nino had noticed where Adrien’s eyes kept straying. He just wasn’t sure if those eyes were for Marinette or for Lila.

“I’m fine!” Adrien hastened to assure him. “I just don’t see why they keep talking!” Adrien didn’t hear the whine and exasperation in his tone, but Nino certainly did.

“This is a good thing, Dude!” Nino slung an arm over Adrien’s shoulder. “We all knew they would make great friends once Marinette got over her hang-ups, and look! We were right!” Adrien frowned, incredibly vexed, but not certain why.

“They aren’t friends!” Adrien protested. He couldn’t imagine them being good friends, no matter what the last week had shown. “Marinette is my-OUR friend!” Nino let his arm drop, suddenly serious. It looked like Adrien was focusing quite heavily on Marinette lately.

“Dude. Marinette can be friends with anyone she wants to. It’s her choice. And you’re friends with Lila, so why can’t Marinette be?” Nino frowned at Adrien as Adrien scrambled to find a reason. Growing visibly flustered, Adrien was nervously shifting his feet and looking around for inspiration.

“I just! Marinette’s my friend first! And she and Lila don’t get along! This is gonna turn out so badly, I just know it!” Adrien couldn’t think of a valid reason they shouldn’t be friends without confirming Lila as a liar and he’d already agreed not to do that. He scuffed his shoe at the ground, irritated he couldn’t explain his feeling of doom.

“Dude,” Nino admonished before wrapping his arm around Adrien once more. “Marinette will still be your friend. You can always have more friends, right? Well, so can Marinette. She’ll always make time for you if you need her, dude. Lila just needs her right now.” They walked out for lunch, but Adrien couldn’t help muttering to himself.

“She doesn’t need more friends. She has me.”

******************************************************************************

When they returned from lunch, Adrien felt like a record screeched to a halt in his head when he walked into the classroom. Marinette, Alya, and Lila were sitting together giggling and talking excitedly. As he stared, Lila leaned against Marinette, who leaned back companionably. Adrien could see Lila practically glowing at Marinette’s attention, and he could grudgingly understand. When Marinette gave him her attention, he always felt like he was on top of the world too.

Nino didn’t notice Adrien freezing in the doorway, walking to join the three girls crammed into the desk above his. Adrien quickly followed, his eyes never straying from the contact between the two girls’ shoulders. As he joined the group of friends, he caught the tail end of the girls giggling at something. While he felt his own lips twitching at Marinette’s sweet giggle, he had to fight not to scowl at Lila’s obnoxious laugh.

“What’re you guys laughing about?” Nino smiled at the girls as he asked them. Adrien busied himself with setting his things down, perking his ears silently. The girls nudged each other excitedly, none willing to speak up first until Lila nudged Marinette, smiling intimately. Marinette giggled again before finally answering Nino, never noticing Adrien’s narrow eyed glare, nor Lila’s smug smirk back.

“I managed to get something passed for our class. We were laughing at a meme about it. You’ll find out tomorrow, but if you really wanna know now,” Marinette leaned forward conspiratorially. Adrien found his body leaning towards her without his own consent, but the other three in Marinette’s orbit were doing so as well. There was just something about Marinette that made you want to circle around her and glow under her approval.

“We’re going to get a class pet!” Marinette squealed softly. Adrien blinked at her, charmed by her excitement, but baffled at the idea of a class pet. He’d read about them in manga, of course but never imagined he might have one. Nino let out an impressed ‘whoa!’ and Adrien nodded appreciatively.

“What pet are we getting?” Nino leaned forward, propping himself on his elbows. Adrien felt an irrational urge to pull him away from Marinette’s proximity. It was absurd, Adrien knew Nino and Alya were dating, but the urge had him clutching ineffectively at Nino’s shoulder as he also leaned forward towards Marinette. If he elbowed his friend a bit to be closer to Marinette, no one said anything.

Marinette giggled, and nudged Lila. Lila ripped her eyes away from Marinette, smiling brightly at the boys. “We’re getting a hamster!” She whispered excitedly. “We wanted a cat, like Mr. Whiskers, but the litterbox and the open area they’d require was too much for the school to allow. Mari’s always wanted a hamster, so we’re going to vote as a class tomorrow on the type of hamster, then Mari and I will go pick one out! Alya will go too, of course, but I’m so excited!”

Adrien ignored the voice in his head crying that Marinette should be going out with him, not Lila. “Mari?” He questioned softly. Since when was Lila allowed to call Marinette by a nickname? He watched as Marinette colored slightly, and Lila glared at him.

“That’s MY nickname for her.” Lila announced proprietarily. Adrien blinked back, recognizing the challenge and bristling that she thought she could lay claim to HIS friend that way. Marinette, Nino and Alya silently watched the two glare at each other.

“You can’t own a nickname, Lila.” Adrien argued.

Lila sniffed at him. “Of course I can. I chose it, and Mari agreed that I could call her that, so it’s mine now.”

Adrien glanced at Marinette, who simply shrugged back, completely nonplussed at their argument. Marinette had many nicknames, but most people called her Marinette. Her name wasn’t important. They were supposed to be excited about a hamster, not arguing over what to call her!

“Well, fine!” Adrien blustered. “I’ll give her an even better nickname then!” Lila smirked at him, while Alya and Nino continued to gape. Marinette just sighed, somehow certain this was going to end in disaster.

“Go ahead and try then, Adri-kins!” Lila drawled back, poisonously sweet.

Adrien turned to stare imploringly at Marinette. “Nette?” Marinette’s nose scrunched up. Adrien felt panic. There was no way Lila was going to get an awesome nickname for Marinette before he did. “Princess?” He asked timidly. As Alya let out a gasp and Lila looked outraged, Marinette simply looked apologetic and oddly red.

“S-sorry, Adrien. That one’s taken.” Marinette grimaced as both Lila and Alya hissed out “BY WHO?!” but ignored them. “Any other ideas?” She offered kindly. Adrien felt a mixture of relief and frustration that his favorite nickname for her was ‘taken,’ though at least he was sure it was by his other self.

“Wh-what about…” Adrien stared into her eyes imploringly. “Bluebell?” Marinette wiggled in her seat a bit, smiling down at him even as she giggled. Adrien’s eyes gleamed, happy to have put a smile on her face.

“That’s hardly shorter than ‘Marinette’ though?” She questioned gently. Adrien found himself pouting.

“I still want a nickname for you though! I’m taking Bluebell! No one else calls you that, right?” Adrien demanded petulantly. His question came off rather aggressive as a result, and while Lila glared at his presumption, Marinette simply looked overwhelmed.

“No, I haven’t been called that by anyone.” Marinette smiled sweetly. “You can call me that. Should I think up a nickname for you too?” She asked teasingly, half serious and half incredulous. Adrien found himself blushing, oddly flustered at the idea of her giving him a name. He looked down bashfully as Lila glared at him. Alya was watching the proceeding with dawning understanding and horror. He glanced up through his lashes coyly.

“Only if you want to.” He answered quietly. Before Marinette could answer, the teacher entered and called the class to order. Adrien turned around before Marinette finished turning red. Lila had to return to her seat, and class resumed with no further incidents that day.

**************************************************************************

The next day, the class was in an uproar when Ms. Bustier proudly shared Marinette’s accomplishment. “Good morning class! I’m so excited to announce that thanks to Marinette, we’re getting a Class Pet! We’ll be voting for a breed of Hamster today, and Marinette and Lila will go pick one out after school. Now, if you want to take the next ten minutes to look up facts about hamsters so you can make an informed decision, I’ll send out a link for you to vote on your favorite breed. Remember, ten minutes!”

Adrien listened to the excited chatter, silently voting for the Chinese Hamster because it made him think of Mousinette. After the ten minutes were up, Ms. Bustier projected the results on the screen. “It seems like the Campbell’s Russian Dwarf has won! Alright girls, make sure you get a Campbell’s Russian hamster later, but for now, we need to work on our lessons while we have the opportunity. Everyone thank Marinette for her hard work, and please help her with future fundraisers so we can support our hamster!”

The class thanked Marinette and they began lessons while Adrien sulked at being outvoted. Then he started to plot how to get included in the pet buying. At lunch, he figured he’d hit on a perfect way to join.

“Hey Bluebell?” Adrien fluttered his eyelashes at Marinette, smiling shyly and fiddling with his shirt as he stood in front of her. Marinette looked oddly as though she were about to pass out. “Can I join you this afternoon? I’ve never been to a pet store before. I was never allowed….” He trailed off woefully, and Marinette looked on, visibly upset for him.

“I’m so sorry, Adrien!” Marinette sounded genuinely sad. “I would love to have you, but you have that feather allergy, and pet shops have birds!” Adrien had never cursed his allergy as vehemently as he did that day, when Lila smirked at him as she held on tightly to Marinette’s arm as they left school. Marinette was HIS friend! Lila would not win!

Later in the class chat on his phone, three adorable photos of hamsters, one held in each girls’ hands were shared with the simple question “We can’t agree. Which one?” Adrien, recognizing Marinette’s soft palm, immediately picked that one, noting absently that her chosen was all black. The other two looked nearly identical, one mostly white with a stripe, and one tan with a stripe. He noticed most of the class agreed with his and Marinette’s choice.

Plagg popped over his shoulder to examine the choices. “Hm. The Black one might fit in my mouth. Good choice.” As Adrien sputtered in outrage, Plagg nonchalantly nibbled on his cheese as he hovered. “So, you still trying to ‘outfriend’ the Lie-la?” Adrien huffed, more than tired of this conversation already.

“I’m not competing. Friendship isn’t a competition! I just need Lila to understand that she can’t steal my very good friend from me.” Adrien explained in his most reasonable voice.

“Soooo, where’s this fierce defense of your other friends that she’s cozied up to?” Adrien blinked at Plagg with his mouth unattractively hanging open. It was a surprisingly reasonable question. Plagg snickered at his face before circling around his holder, waiting.

“I just… My friendship with Marinette is really important! We had that misunderstanding when we first met, right? So I really don’t want anything else to happen that might… jeopardize our relationship?” Adrien trailed off, slightly unsatisfied with his own answer, though it seemed a reasonable one.

Plagg stopped nibbling his cheese, worried the bullshit he was hearing might sour the taste. “Do you ever listen to yourself talk, kid?” Adrien was steadily growing frustrated with Plagg. Every day, Plagg nagged him about his actions towards Marinette and Lila, and every day, he ignored Adrien’s very reasonable explanations.

“What is that supposed to mean?!” Burst out of Adrien’s mouth. He hadn’t meant to say it, but Plagg had been driving him up the wall for over a week now. “She’s my friend! She’s my important Princess! We already know Lila is dangerous, I’m just worried for her!”

“But you weren’t worried about the DJ boy or the Reporter chick. You didn’t care about anyone else getting along with the Lie-la chick until now. Why is your ‘Princess’ different?” Plagg swallowed his cheese whole, and Adrien was briefly distracted as Plagg’s body took on a distinctly triangular shape.

“That’s different!” Adrien defended weakly.

“Why?” Plagg responded. “Why is it different for Bakery Girl? Isn’t this exactly what you’ve been telling her to do? To try to get along with Liar-girl? To keep the ‘peace’?” Adrien did not appreciate Plagg’s air quotes. Peace was a reputable goal!

“It’s different because they fought when they met, but now they’re all cuddly and shmoozy and giggly together but she’s not like that with me!” Adrien finally verbalized his feelings. “Why won’t she touch me like that? Hang out with me every day? Play with my hair? I need PATS, Plagg! My hair is DYING to feel her soft hands threading through it! Why can Lila get it, but I can’t? I’m supposed to be much better friends with her! I’ve been friends with her much longer! It isn’t FAIR!” Adrien paused, and considered everything he’d just spilled.

Plagg settled for hovering over Adrien judgmentally. He’d known his kid was jealous, but it seemed he was also still firmly in denial. “So basically, kid. You want your Princess to groom you.” He deadpanned.

Adrien felt a flush build under his skin. “I mean, I-I guess? Partly?” As Plagg continued to silently stare back at him, he began to bluster. “Wouldn’t you? Her nails are nice and short, and her skin is so soft, and she’s so thoughtful, you know she would give the best head scratches!”

Plagg dreamily remembered the one time he’d met Marinette. “Yeah, she does, doesn’t she?”

He immediately straightened up at Adrien’s confused “Huh?”

“Nothing, kid. Nothing at all. Do you know what it means when you want to be groomed by someone of the more attractive gender?”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “It means I like her, and want to hang out with her more, that’s all. Just drop it, Plagg.” Plagg dropped it for the day, shaking his head at his holder’s obstinacy. “Oh look, they chose our hamster!” Plagg didn’t deign to point out that Adrien was now taking ownership of Marinette’s choices as though they were a couple. His kid was too far into denial to understand.

***********************************************************************************

The next day at school, Adrien found that he had a new enemy.

Marinette’s chosen hamster was lovingly cradled in Marinette’s hands as she introduced him quietly to the class. “This is Hammy Noir! Isn’t he adorable?” She cuddled the strangely docile hamster close to her face as the class cooed and awed at him. Adrien absently realized there were furrows in his desk. He stubbornly denied being the cause, even as he pulled bits of wood out from under his finger nails.

Lila and Alya stood nearby, Lila holding a hamster ball and Alya recording on her phone. They both wore oddly fake smiles as Marinette cooed over the hamster. Ms. Bustier approached, eager to greet the new addition to her class, but was quickly warned away by Lila. “Oh, you don’t want to do that, Ms. Bustier.” Lila smiled nervously. “Hammy doesn’t really like anyone besides Marinette right now.” Alya, safely hidden behind her phone nodded a frantic agreement.

“What do you mean? He’s so sweet with Marine-EEK!” Ms. Bustier quickly stepped back as Hammy Noir released her fingers from his Jaws of Doom. She’d reached to pet him when questioning Lila, only to get firsthand experience as to why. His teeth were very sharp, and he wasn’t afraid to use them. Marinette was very flustered, cradling Hammy Noir carefully even as she fretted over Ms. Bustier’s bite.

“Oh, we brought bandages and antiseptic, Alya has it in her bag, Ms. Bustier! I’m so sorry! I swear, he’s an angel, but he’s just nervous with all the new people, right Hammy?” Marinette smiled angelically at Hammy who twitched his nose and cuddled her thumb. The class felt their hearts melting. Well, everyone except Alya, Lila, Ms. Bustier, and Adrien.

Alya turned off her recording before turning to her teacher. “He looks all cute and cuddly, but even the pet shop owner was afraid to hold him. He swore the hamster was a demon in disguise.” Alya raised her bandaged fingers. “I didn’t believe him at first, but Marinette asked me to hold Hammy while she used the restroom last night. As soon as she was gone, my hands were his favorite food, all the way until he heard her footsteps.” Alya looked oddly haunted. “Then he cuddled up sweetly into my hands, while squeaking at the door until Marinette took him back from me.” Alya stared into Ms. Bustier’s disconcerted eyes with an intensity that shocked the class. “Never again. He’s demon-spawn.”

“Alya!” Alya flinched at the admonishment in Marinette’s tone. “He’s an absolute sweetheart, don’t besmirch his honor like that!” Marinette rubbed her cheek against Hammy Noir’s cheeks, and he squeaked happily at her. “Aren’t you, Hammy Noir? You’re just like Chat Noir, charming and adorable, and ready to fight any injustice!” Adrien worked hard to suppress his growl at being compared to a rodent, and flicked his shirt pocket where he could feel Plagg vibrating in amusement.

Lila held up the ball, and gently suggested Marinette let Hammy down. Hammy Noir turned to Lila, who flinched at the rodent’s attention before discreetly moving away a little bit. Ms. Bustier finally chimed in. “Oh, yes. Maybe he can get some of his nervous energy out during class, and then he’ll be better behaved and we can pass him around to introduce ourselves later, okay class?” Everyone clamored in agreement. Adrien, Alya, and Lila remained silent.

Marinette gently set Hammy Noir into his ball, double-checking the security of it before setting him down on the floor. Contrary to all facts and figures they’d read about, Hammy Noir didn’t move until Marinette did, and he followed her to the stairs before squeaking in frustration when he couldn’t get up them to follow her further.

Adrien met Hammy Noir’s eyes and felt the silent pressure from the rodent to pick him up and set him on Marinette’s level. He heard Plagg whisper quietly. “Say the word, and I can make him disappear.” Silently flicking his mischievous god once more, he ignored him and the hamster.

“Maybe we should cover the stairs with ramps, so he can get to whatever level he wants to.” Rose called out suddenly. Adrien jumped, and noticed the hamster’s eyes were fixed on Rose. As Adrien felt chills go down his back, he swore he heard Lila muttering about ‘Demon Animals’ and Alya grumbling as Marinette apparently stepped on her for agreeing.

“That’s a great idea!” Marinette agreed. “We can discuss it later, after class?” The rest of their classmates agreed. Adrien noticed Chloe scooting away from Hammy Noir, staring at him with an unusual look of fright.

“Something’s not right about that hamster.” He heard her mutter to Sabrina, who quickly began researching. Ms. Bustier shushed the class and began her lesson.

Adrien silently hoped they weren’t able to arrange for a ramp.

*******************************************************************************

They were able to arrange for ramps to go over all of the stairs. Marinette even had the school pay for it, with the caveat that any wheelchair bound students were to be placed in their class in future. Adrien shuddered at Marinette’s power when she’s determined. First a hamster, now ramps everywhere. Speaking of the hamster, he glanced at Marinette’s feet, where Hammy Noir was happily walking around her legs over and over again, almost like he was trying to cast a spell.

Adrien had introduced Plagg to Hammy Noir yesterday, and he’d been shocked when Plagg yelped and then immediately hid back in Adrien’s pocket after losing a staring contest with the hamster. Any questions were met with a sullen “I don’t wanna talk about it.” As Chat Noir, he knew that magic was real. So he’d begun to seriously consider the idea of the hamster being some kind of demon.

Marinette still staunchly defended Hammy Noir against anyone saying he was evil, but the rest of the class were of one mind: Hammy Noir was only kind to her. Adrien often found himself angry and irritated, usually around the time Marinette took Hammy Noir out of his cage for pets and cuddles. Even Lila and Alya had joined him in his angry muttering at the unfairness.

Yet the injustice continued. Hammy Noir continued to bite anyone that held him besides Marinette, and Marinette continued to worry that he was stressed by the class’s new environment. She never seemed to realize that Hammy Noir demanded attention any time Marinette was in a one-on-one conversation. Marinette’s friends however, noticed it very quickly, and just as quickly grew weary of it.

Lila often gently nudged the hamster aside with a toe in her bids for Marinette’s attention. Until Hammy Noir squeaked, Marinette would usually remain oblivious to it. Adrien hadn’t heard the girl uttering any kind of lies since Marinette had comforted her after Mr. Whisker’s passing. When he’d pulled her aside to ask, she muttered angrily “I don’t want her to start ignoring me again. If I lie, she might just give up on me.” She blushed as she added. “I really like her hugs. I don’t wanna risk it for some silly stories.”

Adrien, completely understanding the allure of a Marinette hug, few though he’d received, was torn. He was stuck between relief at the end of the War between the two girls, and frustration that Lila wouldn’t just shoot herself in the foot and get out of his way in his bid for Marinette’s friendship. Plagg often muttered that it wasn’t friendship Adrien was after, but Adrien ignored him. What else would he want to be around Marinette constantly for?

(“FOR KISSING AND CUDDLING AND ALL THOSE MUSHY HUMAN THINGS COUPLES DO” Plagg silently railed. He just knew Adrien was being ridiculous again, even if he hadn’t voiced it.)

Alya often just dumped Hammy Noir into his cage whenever she wanted some one-on-one time with Marinette, and until his cries started to really make Marinette sad, that worked fine. Then Marinette would retrieve the demon hamster and pet him while Alya was talking to her. Alya always felt a strong nervousness when Hammy Noir stared at her after she’d banished him to the cage.

One thing stayed true: As long as Marinette held him, anyone could pet him. That served better to improve the relations in class than anything else ever had.

Adrien couldn’t believe his eyes when he returned from lunch one day to find Chloe and Marinette giggling over Hammy Noir. Chloe gently stroked his head and back while he lay like a furry pancake along Marinette’s palm. Adrien ignored the growl he felt building at the back of his throat, determined to not be resentful of Chloe, of all people. The longer the girls talked and giggled though, the more ‘mysterious’ furrows he found in his desk.

Nino apparently didn’t mind the demon spawn, often picking up the ball and handing it to Marinette when they chatted. Nino also never attempted to touch Hammy Noir and the hamster likewise never attempted to bite Nino. Adrien chalked it up to his friend’s chill. Even the hamster couldn’t disturb his coolness.

Hammy Noir bit Rose and Juleka once apiece, and they learned to only hold him when Marinette was standing beside them. Juleka was upset that Rose got bit, and Rose cried when Juleka was bitten. It created a bit of drama until Marinette magically smoothed it over. Adrien didn’t fully understand what they had done, but everyone left that day feeling better, if slightly bitten.

Max flat out refused to hold the hamster, citing germs and statistical likelihood of being bitten based on the class experiences. He was wise. Kim and Alix made bets on who could hold Hammy Noir the longest before getting bitten, and Max begrudgingly timed it. Hammy Noir bit them both at the exact same time, down to the millisecond (1.324 seconds into being held). Marinette chewed them out for stressing the poor hamster and making him uncomfortable enough to bite them so quickly.

Ivan liked petting the hamster while Marinette held him, and he advised Mylene to stick to the same. He flat out refused to let Mylene hold the hamster at all, and so they remained bite free. When Marinette was late to class, Adrien often found Hammy Noir walking the length of Ivan’s desk in his ball while he waited for her.

Adrien and Hammy Noir however, had a rivalry that concerned the class. Every day, Adrien held the hamster. Every day, Hammy Noir found an unmarked spot of skin to bite. Every day, Marinette fussed over them both, cuddling Hammy Noir, and cradling Adrien’s bitten hands as she cleaned and treated them. It was getting to the point that most of his classmates were considering an intervention, especially when they began nodding at each other, as though in respect.

Max was using it as a statistical study, noting that over time, Hammy was taking longer to bite Adrien. While others hypothesized that Adrien was growing on Hammy, Max was certain it was because Hammy was running out of fresh spots to bite. Marinette simply ignored the class’s speculation and thanked Adrien for trying to get along with the class pet.

When Marinette held Hammy Noir, half of her attention was always on the hamster and it had an interesting effect. Marinette no longer visibly freaked out about anything if Hammy was in her hands. It turns out that half her problem was thinking too deeply about everything that could go wrong. With half her attention diverted, and knowing that strong emotion could upset Hammy Noir, Marinette made every effort to stay calm and composed.

The side effect being that Marinette no longer stuttered with Adrien. She also sent him dreamy, sweet smiles that sent his heart into overdrive, even as it pounded uncomfortably fast when he saw her beautiful hands stroking the head of the hamster. It should be his head getting stroked, damn it!

**************************************************************************

Plagg would unequivocally declare that he deserved all the cheese in the world for dealing with the blockhead his newest kitten had become. Adrien was possessive, jealous, and easily appeased. Plagg often noted that while Adrien admired and sighed over the beautiful, mysterious, and completely out-of-reach Ladybug, he also got a dopey grin when he talked about his Princess.

Adrien was always talking about Marinette’s hands, as though they were the most delicate porcelain, when in reality they were small, freckled, scarred, and very strong, as any artist or baker’s hands were. Adrien lamented that Marinette never hugged him enough, even as Marinette hugged everyone else. Plagg gleefully recalled the time Adrien had seen Nathaniel go in for a hug from Marinette on his birthday. Adrien would deny yowling like a demon and hip-checking the other boy, but Nathaniel would glower and swear it happened. Marinette was too surprised and flustered to give any kind of coherent testimony.

Plagg munched on his cheese and recalled a much more amusing time that Adrien denies happened. Adrien had watched in horror as Marinette planted a kiss on Hammy Noir’s head, giggling sweetly. Adrien’s response was a petulant “What about my kiss?!” The entire class had to intervene and the chaos had been utterly glorious. Marinette nearly fainted, Hammy Noir actually attacked Adrien’s ankles, biting and scratching, while Alya desperately tried to catch Hammy. Nino held Marinette, and Lila none-too-subtly tried to knock Adrien over so Hammy could get at his face. The rest of the class ran around screaming, some trying to wake Marinette, some trying to catch the hamster, one (Sabrina) going for a teacher, and several standing on their desks to avoid the demon spawn. Plagg cackled. The entire situation was glorious.

What was less glorious? Adrien’s insistence later that he just wanted a friendly kiss on the head too. Plagg could have cataclysmed his holder’s brains and he’d still have been smarter about his emotions than he currently was. Plagg silently added the most recent event to his diary *ahem* list of reasons why the Guardian needed to retire.

When Marinette actually went to hug Adrien today, Adrien got so excited he squeaked, ran into her arms, and started purring as he squeezed tightly. He refused to let go until she passed out and the class had to work together to convince him she wasn’t just giving him a very welcoming cuddle. Adrien then proceeded to sulk for the rest of the day about jealous classmates interfering in a friendly comforting hug.

Plagg would unequivocally declare that he deserved all the cheese in the world for dealing with the blockhead his newest kitten had become. After the Guardian read his diary *ahem* litany of complaints, Master Fu silently left and bought out an entire cheese store’s supply of camembert for him. Then sent him home with several “How to understand your feelings” books for his holder.

It didn’t help.

OMAKE:

Tikki was dying. Her holder had chosen the most evil creature Tikki had laid eyes on in several decades to cuddle daily. Her holder’s crush was dying of jealousy, often resorting to physically interfering without Marinette even NOTICING his crazy. All while her holder was bonding with previous mortal enemies over a creature of evil origins, who Marinette refused to hear a word against.

Tikki was dying, but watching Marinette finally smile happily again was worth every moment.


End file.
